Why some employers are hiring etiquette coaches for Gen Z workers

Sorry for the last minute notice, but can you work until 9 p.m. today

That is the message my manager just sent me. And naturally, I stared at the screen wondering how to say no without sounding lazy or entitled

I'm kidding, but welcome to the Gen Z workplace dilemma, where employers are now hiring etiquette coaches to help younger workers polish up

and maybe help everyone understand each other a little better. The San Francisco Standard recently reported that some Bay Area employers are raising eyebrows at what they consider unusual workplace behavior, like showing up to work in sweatpants or taking full-blown FaceTime calls from their desks

But it's not just happening in San Francisco. These faux pas are being reported across the country, and it's prompting some employers to take a new approach

Based on what you have seen and heard or worked with, if you could give a rating to just overall workplace business etiquette, what would that be and why

Oh my goodness. Well, I would say probably a C. People oftentimes forget to bring their manners to work

Jacqueline Whitmore is an international etiquette expert who worked with everyone from pharma reps to HVAC technicians And she knows a thing or two about generational gaps in the workforce especially Gen Zers who she says were hit the hardest by the pandemic

While many Americans worked remotely for several years, Gen Zers were still in school or just entering their careers when the pandemic forced everything online

There's some challenges when it comes to dress, when it comes to how to send an email

A lot of these young people, they don't even know how to write a thank you note

They don't even know how to address an envelope. And so a lot of times we have to start at the very beginning, the basics

A resume builder survey asked 782 U.S. hiring managers for their take on Gen Z candidates

31% said they avoid hiring them altogether. 57% said Gen Z candidates struggled with eye contact

19% said candidates use inappropriate language. And then there's this. This is Tanya, Cash's mom

You've met before. Oh, hi, Tanya. Yeah, I remember. You sat in on Cash's interview the whole time

Oh, yes. Wasn't that a great interview? Resume Builder says 9% of hiring managers have seen a Gen Z candidate bring a parent to an interview

That doesn't happen. It really doesn't happen. If I'm not exposed to the Asian culture and I'm going to do my homework before going over there, there's also a disconnect in the workplace

And that disconnect, it showed up online too earlier in July after a now-deleted post on X questioned whether Gen Zers have been taught basic etiquette

One response went viral defending the generation, saying in part, older generations are feeling very comfortable speaking as if Gen Z is incapable of being functioning members of society

And let's just say the gap in understanding doesn't stop at basic workplace etiquette

Whitmore told Straight Arrow News about a time where an intern had a very specific ask after being on the job for just three weeks

In a text, they contacted me saying I would like more money

The same resume builder survey found that 42 of hiring managers say Gen Z candidates ask for too much money too soon According to a Go Banking Rate survey Gen Z now makes up 38 percent of the U workforce

The average salary for a Gen Z worker ranges widely by state from 29,000 in Alabama to more

than 51,000 in Washington. A lot of times people will say, well, I'll call you tomorrow and then

they ghost you. We never heard about ghosting in my generation. When you said you'd follow up

you better, or you wouldn't have a job the next day. And so it's really important that you follow

through. Aside from that, several studies show that younger workers, including millennials

prioritize flexibility and work-life balance, and some employers are learning to appreciate that

I honestly respect their boundaries. They call in all the time because of this, and I was like

I wish I had that when I grew up because like I used to call in and be like I'm so sick and my

manager would be like well doesn't matter. Wentmore says workplace etiquette isn't just a Gen Z

problem. Every generation has room to grow and while etiquette gets a bad rap. They think it's

just knives and forks and what I try to tell people that it's so much more than that. It's

the art of knowing how to treat other people and treating others the way you want to be treated

With Straight Arrow news, I'm Kennedy Felton. Download our app or visit SAN.com for more